Post by Modesto Anarcho on Jan 25, 2008 15:27:30 GMT -5
Abused women face deportation
By MARTÍN E. MARTÍNEZ / Vida En El Valle
(Published Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 10:10AM)
SACRAMENTO -- The Department of Homeland Security is considering doing away with a policy that allowed undocumented women who are victims of domestic violence to remain in the United States.
Ana Bertha Arellano, who lives in Sacramento, was beaten and humiliated by her legal-resident husband for more than nine years. He never sought to petition for legal residence on behalf of his wife.
"My ex-husband would tell me he was never going to get me residence papers because when women get those papers they feel they have power, and he said he didn't like that," said Arellano, who has three children.
Arellano was brought into the United States illegally by her husband, who paid others to smuggle her across the border.
At first, things were going good and her husband would tell her he was going to get the process going so she could attain legal residence.
"At first, he did some paperwork so I could get a work permit, but he didn't want me to apply for legal residence. He said we would do that later," she said.
Arellano got the work permit weeks later, but every time she asked her husband to start the legal residency petition he would tell her "no" and beat her.
She got tired of the violence and mistreatment, so she left him and sought the help of the Mexican Consulate, whose officials recommended she apply for an American federal program for victims of domestic violence.
Arellano hired a lawyer and petitioned for legal residency under that program. Two years later, she received some bad news.
Her lawyer Marien Sorensen told her the office of Citizenship and Immigration Services had placed her case on hold because it was considering eliminating the domestic violence program, especially if the petitioner had entered the country illegally.
"Even though this was a law approved by the U.S. Congress several years ago, immigration authorities are giving it a very strict review so they can ask Congress to do away with it," Sorensen said.
Arellano's petition remains in limbo, even though she was able to prove she was a domestic abuse victim.
"We don't know what's going to happen. Right now I have several clients whose petitions have been held up by (CIS). I think it's all part of the negative environment aganst the undocumented in this country," said Sorensen.
Sharon Rummery, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco office of CIS, had little details about the case.
"We would consider declining residency petitions for immigrants who have been victims of domestic abuse if they came into the country illegally," she said.
Julie Bornhoeft, director of development and community relations for Women Escaping a Violent Environment, said such a policy would have a great and adverse effect on women.
"This would prevent many women from reporting cases of abuse for fear of being deported. There's a chance they would just take the abuse even if it could cost them their lives," Bornhoeft said.
In some cases, abused women would even feel discouraged from seeking medical care.
"We have to take into account that many women come here under false premises and many feel they have no choice but to live under the shadow of their abuser," she said.
She added many of these women have given birth to children who are U.S. citizens.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said she is unhappy with the new policy.
"CIS doesn't have the right nor the authority to interpret a law that was approved by the Congress in 1994. They (the immigration officials) are bureaucrats, not lawyers," she said.
She said Homeland Security is trying to deport undocumented immigration, but that she resents some of their tactics.
"We are against illegal immigration, but we're also against domestic abuse against women," she said.
It is unknown when the Congress will address the issue, or if it will.
Send e-mail to: mmartinez@vidaenelvalle.com
By MARTÍN E. MARTÍNEZ / Vida En El Valle
(Published Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 10:10AM)
SACRAMENTO -- The Department of Homeland Security is considering doing away with a policy that allowed undocumented women who are victims of domestic violence to remain in the United States.
Ana Bertha Arellano, who lives in Sacramento, was beaten and humiliated by her legal-resident husband for more than nine years. He never sought to petition for legal residence on behalf of his wife.
"My ex-husband would tell me he was never going to get me residence papers because when women get those papers they feel they have power, and he said he didn't like that," said Arellano, who has three children.
Arellano was brought into the United States illegally by her husband, who paid others to smuggle her across the border.
At first, things were going good and her husband would tell her he was going to get the process going so she could attain legal residence.
"At first, he did some paperwork so I could get a work permit, but he didn't want me to apply for legal residence. He said we would do that later," she said.
Arellano got the work permit weeks later, but every time she asked her husband to start the legal residency petition he would tell her "no" and beat her.
She got tired of the violence and mistreatment, so she left him and sought the help of the Mexican Consulate, whose officials recommended she apply for an American federal program for victims of domestic violence.
Arellano hired a lawyer and petitioned for legal residency under that program. Two years later, she received some bad news.
Her lawyer Marien Sorensen told her the office of Citizenship and Immigration Services had placed her case on hold because it was considering eliminating the domestic violence program, especially if the petitioner had entered the country illegally.
"Even though this was a law approved by the U.S. Congress several years ago, immigration authorities are giving it a very strict review so they can ask Congress to do away with it," Sorensen said.
Arellano's petition remains in limbo, even though she was able to prove she was a domestic abuse victim.
"We don't know what's going to happen. Right now I have several clients whose petitions have been held up by (CIS). I think it's all part of the negative environment aganst the undocumented in this country," said Sorensen.
Sharon Rummery, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco office of CIS, had little details about the case.
"We would consider declining residency petitions for immigrants who have been victims of domestic abuse if they came into the country illegally," she said.
Julie Bornhoeft, director of development and community relations for Women Escaping a Violent Environment, said such a policy would have a great and adverse effect on women.
"This would prevent many women from reporting cases of abuse for fear of being deported. There's a chance they would just take the abuse even if it could cost them their lives," Bornhoeft said.
In some cases, abused women would even feel discouraged from seeking medical care.
"We have to take into account that many women come here under false premises and many feel they have no choice but to live under the shadow of their abuser," she said.
She added many of these women have given birth to children who are U.S. citizens.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said she is unhappy with the new policy.
"CIS doesn't have the right nor the authority to interpret a law that was approved by the Congress in 1994. They (the immigration officials) are bureaucrats, not lawyers," she said.
She said Homeland Security is trying to deport undocumented immigration, but that she resents some of their tactics.
"We are against illegal immigration, but we're also against domestic abuse against women," she said.
It is unknown when the Congress will address the issue, or if it will.
Send e-mail to: mmartinez@vidaenelvalle.com